BRASSERIE VAL-DIEU

Aubel, Belgium

Val-Dieu stands for authenticity and quality, as it is the only true Belgian Abbey beer 100% brewed in a living Abbey, just like the famous Trappist beers.

The Cistercian Abbey "Notre Dame du Val-Dieu" was founded in 1216 by monks from Hocht, close to Maastricht. According to the legend, the uninhabited valley in which they settled was so hostile that the local population called it “the valley of the devil”. The monks renamed it “Valley of God”, or “Val-Dieu” in French, which later gave its name to the Abbey.

The Abbey of Val-Dieu is the only Belgian Abbey that survived the French Revolution. Today the Abbey is still occupied by the Christian Community of Val-Dieu, which is linked to the Cistercian Order.

The beers currently brewed within the Abbey itself, find their origin in the traditional recipe handed down by the monk-brewers of the Cistercian Abbey of Val-Dieu. Historically, the Cistercian orders were known as talented brewers. The development of the brewing activity was initially linked to the need to make water drinkable and thus avoid such common diseases in those days as dysentery, cholera and typhoid.

For centuries, the monks studied yeasts and fermentations. They turned brewing into a science, creating special recipes ever more elaborated and sophisticated. Beers currently brewed in Val-Dieu are inspired from the traditional recipes of the monk-brewers, loyal to the tradition of beers secondary fermented in the bottle.

Beers of Val-Dieu are true original Belgian Abbey beers, they are elaborated without the addition of flavourings nor spices and brewed according to the ancient infusion method.